Disclaimer： I don't own Naruto.

I would like to thank SweetDreamsAreMadeOfNaruto for being my Beta reader. You really did me a big favour. Thanks a lot!

CHAPTER 1

It was all over.

Kaguya had been defeated, and Team Seven saved the world successfully. It was time to release the Edo Tensei and let the summoned Kages return to where they ought to be. Dust to dust and ashes to ashes, the dead should not interfere with the living, nor should the living bother the dead.

There was only one exception.

Konoha's Fourth Hokage, the Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato was still there after the Sage of Six Paths and other Kages had disappeared. When surrounded by startled Konoha shinobi, and being asked about what happened, the blond just scratched the back of his head sheepishly, and said, "Well...Maybe it's because I still miss this world and the people here. Don't worry, I've talked with him; I'll leave right after finishing what I want to do."

Everyone looked at Naruto knowingly. The father and son had been separated by death soon after the son was born, and when they finally met each other, it was in the battlefield and they did not have much time to talk. Any father would be eager to spend time with his son and stay as long as possible. Since the Sage of Six Paths himself did not hold an opinion against it, they certainly enjoyed seeing these two being reunited.

Therefore, one more special comrade was added to the troop of Konoha when they headed back home.

The war has come to its end, but there were still a lot of things to do afterwards. Rally the soldiers, rearrange the rosters, mourn who were dead and compensate who were left. Fewer spaces in the cemetery, more names carved onto the Memorial Stone.

Half a month after the war was over, a figure appeared on the Training Field 3 in the early morning.

With his hands shoved into his pockets, Hatake Kakashi looked down at the Memorial Stone. Where the name was carved, a piece of coal had been smeared over. It was a total mess now, and impossible to tell whose name was there.

After staring at the stain for a while, Kakashi bent down and picked up the small bucket beside his feet. He went to the river, and filled the bucket. Then he went back, knelt down in front of the stone, and carefully started cleaning away the cinder inside the sharp cuts, until nothing was left and it was back to how it used to be.

Uchiha Obito.

After a brief discussion with Minato and Team Seven, and the back-and-forth arguments with the two advisers, Tsunade had decided to keep Obito's name on the Memorial Stone, and kept the fact that it was him who had controlled Kyuubi and attacked Konoha as a secret. However, everyone on the battlefield had seen the two Uchiha standing on the head of Juubi, and the casualties killed by Obito's Mokuton and Juubi's Biju Cannon could not be ignored. They could not, and would not conceal everything. Even though Obito went back to their side in the end, and made great contributions, it could not undo the crimes he'd committed.

Even if the others could let it pass, how could they ever face the Hyuuga, the Nara and the Yamanaka if they had shielded Obito?

So it was expected for Obito's name to be smeared. Either way, Kakashi would thank whoever did this for still respecting the Memorial Stone and Hokage's order, and for not using something sharp to scratch the name with. If it was blackened, then he would just clean it again, and everything would be okay.

No matter how many times.

Kakashi did not care what others would think about what he did, nor what they would say about him behind his back. Anyway, except for a few of his friends, he had since long been considered 'strong but weird and difficult to get along with' by the other citizens of Konoha.

He had faced more rumors and accusations when his father committed the suicide, and when he returned from Kannabi Bridge.

Everyone knew that Obito was his teammate, and after the War, all the shinobi on the battlefield had known that he got his Sharingan from the Uchiha.

Oh. No. He did not have a Sharingan now.

Kakashi stopped cleaning, and raised his free hand to cover his left eye, which was not covered by the forehead protector. Naruto's power of the Six Paths was incredible; the new eye worked perfectly, and he had not felt any discomfort at all. This time, it was the scar, which had been silent for decades that made him felt aching and itchy.

"Is it that you want to say something to me? Obito," Kakashi whispered, staring at the name of his best friend. He smiled sadly after a while. "It's unlikely. You must be chatting happily with Rin right now."

Obito couldn't answer, of course; instead someone else spoke up behind him. "You did come here, Kakashi."

"Please do not use the Haraishin Technique everywhere inside the village, sensei."Sighing, Kakashi dropped the cloth into the bucket, and stood up. "And it's scary for you to suddenly appear behind someone."

"But, even if you say so, I don't see any fright on your face, Kakashi," the blond replied with a smile. He was still wearing the jonin uniform and vest that he had worn back at the battlefield, which had been altered to a short-sleeve pattern due to his damaged arms during the war. It looked weird to have short sleeves in late autumn, but the body from Edo Tensei wouldn't feel warm or cold. So it didn't matter.

Before replying to his sensei's words, Kakashi turned his gaze to the blond's bare arms. Three days after being back to Konoha, Orochimaru had managed to create a pair of new arms for Minato. Even with the Sannin's brilliant technique, the arms could only allow him to do some casual, daily activities. No hand signs or fighting.

"They will work for one month as most, Minato," Orochimaru warned, watching the Forth Hokage curling his fingers clumsily.

"One month is enough for me. Thank you, Orochimaru." Minato sounded content.

Orochimaru snorted and left. Others around looked at each other in silence. One month. Minato could only stay in their world for one month.

And now half of that period had passed.

"Kakashi?" Minato's voice broke through Kakashi's memories.

"Oh...No, never mind. "Kakashi came to himself and looked away. "I wasn't frightened because you have done this so many times in the past."

Like after his father's death, after he thought Obito was dead, after Rin's death...No matter if it was day or night, no matter if he was eating or sleeping, the man had always appeared unexpectedly inside his house, checking on him from hair to toes; until he was annoyed and repeatedly promised that he was fine. Then the man would finally disappear, just as fast as he had appeared.

"Haha...I can't walk around carelessly in the village, after all. I can't make the signs for Henge, you know, and it is troublesome to cover my face every time. And it would be suspicious as well," Minato said, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked around, and there was a fond and wistful expression on his face. "Here... Everything that has happened here seems just like it was yesterday."

Kakashi could say nothing and kept silent.

He could always be insouciant in front of others, burying his face into a small orange book, casually responding to what they said. When it came to something too personal he could always shift the topic with tact. But it would not work when he faced Minato. Not that he was too restrained in front of his sensei, not even totally for his respect towards the blond, it was just...unnecessary, and also impossible, for him to hide his true feelings from the man.

Soon after Kakashi was born, Minato attended his mother's funeral with Jiraiya, and met him for the first time. Before Kakashi went to the Academy, when Sakumo was on a mission, Minato would come to the Hatake house and stay with him, studying scrolls or throwing shuriken. After Kakashi graduated from the Academy, Minato became his sensei officially. When everyone Kakashi was close to had left him one by one, only Minato was still there, until Minato left him as well.

From Kakashi's birth to Minato's death, their relationship had been sometimes intimate, sometimes frigid (Kakashi one-sided, of course), but never broken off during the fourteen years. Namikaze Minato knows Hatake Kakashi's every past, every pain, and every weakness.

He might even know Kakashi's every thought – though most of time, he did not show the insight outright.

Absentmindedly, Kakashi tapped at his forehead protector. He somewhat wished that he could pull it down, and cover both his eyes. So that he would not need to look at the blond, nor meet his eyes.

That's strange – he wanted to have more time with his sensei. They had been separated unexpectedly for sixteen years. However, in fact, they had not spent much time together during the past half month. Most of the time Minato would just stay in Naruto and Sasuke's hospital room, and when Kakashi met him, they had always talked about the village, or Naruto. Kakashi could even count that it was just the third time now that they were alone with each other.

Kakashi sighed inwardly. He could not drag a father away from his son, after all. What's more, no one was more willing than him to see Minato and Naruto together as long as possible, so that Minato could know how excellent Naruto was, and so that Naruto could know what a brilliant person Minato had been.

Even Sasuke went along well with Minato. Both the father and the son had the incredible power that could melt the ice in the heart of the most solitary person, which nobody else could remotely approach, especially not someone like him.

But well...He had been a useless and awful sensei in the first place.

"So…What did you come for, sensei? Why don't you spend more time with Naruto?" When Minato kept silent after sharing his feelings, Kakashi had no other choice but to speak himself.

Minato instantly looked up at him. "Oh well," he said at ease. It did not seem like he had just been brought back to reality from deep thought; it seemed like he was waiting for Kakashi to speak up. "Naruto and Sasuke are leaving the hospital later today."

"Mahh...I think it is time for the two kids to get enough of the hospital. Not surprising at all." Kakashi shrugged, "And if I were them, I would have sneaked out a week ago."

"I don't remember that I have taught you to escape from the hospital, and teach it to your students, Kakashi," the blond said jokingly. "Anyway...Naruto would like to have a small party to celebrate their release, and Sasuke's return to Konoha. Besides Team Seven and me, the guests invited will only include Team Gai, Team Asuma, Team Kurenai and their senseis, as well as Tsunade-sama and Shizune."

"Not bad." Kakashi nodded. "Is it going to be tonight? Everything ready already?"

"Well that's the problem." Minato scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "As you know, after Kushina and I...Er, had died, our belongings were collected and kept by Sandaimei in order to not draw any attentions, and the house was also disposed. Naruto's apartment is too small to have a party in with so many people. So it came to my mind that...Would it be alright if we used yours?"

"...Huh?" Kakashi did not realize exactly what Minato meant at first. "Sensei, the Jonin's dorm is not bigger than Naruto's apartment."

"...Ahaha." Minato smiled bashfully. "It's not your dorm we're interested in...It's the Hatake house. I heard that you have hired someone to maintain the house every month. So I think...Maybe..."

"..."

Oh, Kakashi thought distantly, I need to have a talk with Godaimei later about not leaking out others' private affairs.

"Can we do that?" Minato widened his eyes and looked at him with full expectation, "Kakashi?"

Hell. Well done Tsunade. He could never say 'no' to those blue eyes.

"...I'll need to have the house cleaned during the day, sensei."

A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated.